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I am a former Asheville resident, temporarily for employment, and am now in Pennsylvania. I absolutely hate it here and need to get back to an Asheville like environment. Let me explain that by saying that I am a vegan, liberal, well travelled, rustic living, homesteading, herbalist, grow your own food type. For the sake of discussion lets leave getting to employment out of the list. I have means of internet employment if need be. I have a little cash saved up to buy land but I cannot afford Asheville and need a cheaper similar alternative. I know a lot of people have left because of affordability and the need for cheaper land and real estate. I was just wondering if anyone there has any suggestions. I need rural or mountain land that I can put an inexpensive cabin on and not get run off by the local zoning board. I am looking into the Johnson City, TN area because I know some people there. Any other suggestions? Thanks
I am a former Asheville resident, temporarily for employment, and am now in Pennsylvania. I absolutely hate it here and need to get back to an Asheville like environment. Let me explain that by saying that I am a vegan, liberal, well travelled, rustic living, homesteading, herbalist, grow your own food type. For the sake of discussion lets leave getting to employment out of the list. I have means of internet employment if need be. I have a little cash saved up to buy land but I cannot afford Asheville and need a cheaper similar alternative. I know a lot of people have left because of affordability and the need for cheaper land and real estate. I was just wondering if anyone there has any suggestions. I need rural or mountain land that I can put an inexpensive cabin on and not get run off by the local zoning board. I am looking into the Johnson City, TN area because I know some people there. Any other suggestions? Thanks
Was it that you hate about PA? Is it because it is more conservative than Asheville? And if so, isn't Johnson City, TN also conservative?
Was it that you hate about PA? Is it because it is more conservative than Asheville? And if so, isn't Johnson City, TN also conservative?
That would be my question also. I would look at Chattanooga over Johnson City. There will be no "cheap" mountain land that you can just slap a cabin on anywhere. And most places where land is cheap will be ultra conservative and not what you are looking for. Need to make some compromises, OP.
Ditto that JC is a very conservative area, with mostly a religious orientation. I had 20 acres on a river and trout stream outside of Abingdon,VA, where I had a very good professional position nearby. Enjoyed that place a lot, riding our horses up at Mt Rogers, Creeper Trail bike riding, hiking on the AT. It has the cheaper land and lack of zoning, but it was ultra conservative. Many people are on disability, but hate the government (?). Locally, it was all about "Obama's War on Coal". Never made much sense that those people wanted every government benefit they could get, but blamed Obama for loss of coal jobs. Moved to Asheville to get away from all that.
In this part of PA it's conservative also, but also an environmentally unaware rat race. Angry people here too, mostly because even working two jobs you can't get the taxes and mortgage paid. Rural land is all farmland, Amish and Mennonite. Nice if you want to go out and buy their products, but not if you want to buy some land to live on. The town we live in thought we were nuts when we asked for a recycle bin. They provide recycling here but no one does it. We can't find a house to rent that hasn't been smoked in. Housing is seriously old and in disrepair. There are no rental housing laws or enforcement. Rents are high.
So I guess I need to hit the lottery to become a liberal. LOL Wish I could find a nice middle of the road alternative.
There isn't anything cheap around Charlottesville, VA. The surrounding area is very high priced horse farm country, much higher priced than anywhere around Asheville.
I am a former Asheville resident, temporarily for employment, and am now in Pennsylvania. I absolutely hate it here and need to get back to an Asheville like environment. Let me explain that by saying that I am a vegan, liberal, well travelled, rustic living, homesteading, herbalist, grow your own food type. For the sake of discussion lets leave getting to employment out of the list. I have means of internet employment if need be. I have a little cash saved up to buy land but I cannot afford Asheville and need a cheaper similar alternative. I know a lot of people have left because of affordability and the need for cheaper land and real estate. I was just wondering if anyone there has any suggestions. I need rural or mountain land that I can put an inexpensive cabin on and not get run off by the local zoning board. I am looking into the Johnson City, TN area because I know some people there. Any other suggestions? Thanks
What about the Berkshires in New England , the Green Mtns of Vermont ?
anywhere in New England has ridiculously high heating costs (oil heat)...insanely high utility rates, and very high property taxes....much higher than PA.....otherwise that is where I would be heading too...back up to NH....but, forget that....
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